Archive for category Terrorism

Robert Anderson teaches economics and political science at a U.S. community college. He served in the U.S. Air Force (like Bruce Gagnon) and saw combat during the 1967-68 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Later, he helped form the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. He traveled to Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973 to support the indigenous struggles for sovereignty. In 2006 he was arrested and banned from the University of New Mexico for pointing out it was wrong for the university to be supporting the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) without public comment. He is now co-director of Stop the War Machine which has organized major demonstrations opposing Star Wars and the Iraqi war. Bob can be called the Raymond Davis of 60s – Raymond Davis to us Pakistanis is synonymous to CIA Killer Machine.His recent article in Counterpunch titled “I Had Ray Davis’s Job, in Laos 30 Years Ago; Same Cover, Same Lies” led us contact him for an interview for Karachi based newspaper. The original English version is presented her for readers of “Talkhaba”. He sent us his reaction over Raymond Davis release. Please read on:

“The release of Davis in my opinion is just a green light for more killings and assassinations by the US government and the CIA in your country. The pillage and slaughter of Pakistani will increase most likely in the quest of the US for imperial power over your country and region.

The question of justice has been replaced by money. This is the typical way the US works, kill and buy people off.

Pakistan, in my opinion, missed a historic opportunity with Ray Davis to affirm its sovereignty and now has basically returned to its former colonial status, only under the U.S. rather than the British.”

Talkhaba: Since you have been undercover CIA official during Vietnam War, you were a witness to the events during an important part of history. How do you relate the history . . . the working of covert agents of your time to present CIA espionage tactics?

Robert: I tried to paint in my article a picture of the scope of how this is done by various agencies of the US government. I was not an official of the CIA but a regular military man put on loan to the CIA for covert work. It is extensive and way beyond my scope to detail. It involves thousands and thousands of people. There is a lot of literature around on this by others too, especially some ex-CIA agents and people like John Perkins.

Talkhaba: You are the Raymond Davis of the past; your period extends over years. What sorts of tactics were adopted during that period? Were these upgraded with time? If yes, then would you share some details with us?

Robert: You could read up on the Phoenix Program and COINTEL programs and get a good idea of what went on in the 60s. Read of the murder of Fred Hampton, for instance. Ward Churchill has some good books on this too as it relates to Native Americans. I would imagine the tactics have changed some but still also rather simple, assassinations where bribery and threats do not work. The torture of Pvt. Bradley Manning by our military is a good example.

Talkhaba: According to your knowledge how many undercover agents were working in Vietnam? How many agents may be working in Pakistan?

Robert: In Laos and other areas, the reports are: a large number. I have no idea as there is a fuzzy line between the official military people and the covert forces. They are all out for the same goal, to destabilize and corrupt and overthrow governments. Sometimes it is done directly with the military sometimes it is done with covert acts. You must know well the coup in Iran in 1953 by the CIA. That is the model that all the rest of this flows from.

No idea of how many of them must be there in Pakistan but I would think the number is quite big given the key position Pakistan occupies in the U.S. plan for the conquest of Eurasia.

Talkhaba: John Perkin has informed his readers of a special tactic. According to him, they had been using women as a blackmailing tool as well as a source of top secret information. Are similar tactics being used by CIA and FBI? How do you see the use of this tactic in Pakistan?

Robert: I have no such information on the ground knowledge of events in Pakistan but it would not surprise me if this tactic was being used there too.

Talkhaba: How do you see American demand for blanket immunity for Raymond Davis, the CIA operative and killer of two Pakistanis?

Robert: Typical. Deny; cry that he is a victim of the folks who don’t understand the greatness and goodness of US intentions. Just some people don’t get the word they say. It is entirely up to Pakistan to decide what to do.

Talkhaba: Given the capability of Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan, some defense analysts assert that terrorist attacks in Pakistan can’t be carried out by Taliban; instead these are planned and perpetrated by CIA? In the light of your experience in Laos, can you endorse and substantiate this assertion?

Robert: It is possible but I don’t know any details. This is done a lot; it is called False Flag operations. The CIA has had plans to kill Americans to get its plans going here too.

Talkhaba: John Perkin in his book “The Secret History of the American Empire” has exposed the World Bank and other monitory organizations as tools of American Imperialism. Do you think CIA, FBI and US secret agencies are working for the same cause on other fronts?

Robert: Of course. They all think the US has a manifest destiny to rule the world, or as some say it, to be the world’s policeman. But what they are after are the resources of other nations.

Talkhaba: Blackwater/Xe Worldwide has been working as CIA’s operative in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Prior to the advent of these mercenaries, CIA had been doing all this work by itself. What made CIA to out source its work to various operatives like Xe? Are these operatives crueler up to the requirements?

Robert: I suppose to try to hide it from the American and other people. But anyone with awareness knows what is going on.

Talkhaba: CIA has its network in nearly all countries. Are they freely working in all countries alike or, unlike Pakistan, it will be difficult for it to work in the countries having severe relationship with US or relationship based on the principle of equality and respect for each other’s sovereignty?

Robert: From what I can tell they do this to everyone, friend and foe alike.

Talkhaba: How do you see the America’s “War on Terror”? How far is it tarnishing the very image and interest of USA inside and outside?

Robert: It is corrupting our political system from top to bottom.

Talkhaba: Your article published in “Counterpunch” gives the impression that American masses remain ignorant of truth. It’s also believed worldwide that Americans top the list of nations blindly following their rulers. Has your educational system any relevance with this phenomenon or some other causes compose this highly “educated” blind nation?

Robert: Patriotism and religious self-righteousness is what blinds many people here. The educational system is not teaching the truth, mostly myths and lies.

Talkhaba: What is your experience says about 9/11 tragedy. Do you believe it was done by some Muslim Groups? What is our assessment of Al-Quaida and Taliban?

Robert: Seems to be. They don’t like U.S. intervention in their countries.

Talkhaba: Can you give some advice to Pakistan how to get rid of current terrorism?

Robert: More education of the public and help in understanding that the U.S. can be as terroristic, and a problem, as any other group. Stand up strong and don’t let things like Ray Davis go away.

Talkhaba: Is there anything which I haven’t asked and you want to share with our readers?

The followers of Bacha Khan have thrown the nonviolent theory of “ahimsa” into bin. Not only have abandoned centuries old Pakhtoon traditions and completely forgotten their party mentor’s theory of peaceful coexistence. Karachi gripped with the recent spate of target killings is helpless and its residents are looking at the three key players MQM, ANP and PPP. The bigger the stake the more terror these claimants of Karachi inflict on the urban dwellers. These groups consider it their divine right to avenge the killing of their ranks by inflicting death and misery on the poor Karachiites. Every time a leader or worker of these parties is killed anarchy descends on the city. These burst of violence always claim many a precious lives and loss of property. The shopkeepers have no option than to pull down their shutters. The bigger the personality the more Karachi has to suffer. However, it’s not alarming for a city which has become a city of mayhem.

The frightening and recent phenomenon of attacking commoners belonging to opposite ethnic communities has been an “attribute” of Mutahida Qaumi Movement lead by Altaf Hussain. This practice again on display soon after the assassination of Raza Haider, an MPA belonging to MQM. Scores of innocent people of Pakhtoon ethnicity were murdered. These were mostly laborers seeking a daily wage to make their ends meet. Similarly workers of ANP went berserk after the killing of its Sindh Salaar Ubaidullah Yousufzai and started terrorizing the people belonging to Urdu community. Ethnic and political terrorism is a concern, a big one, But not as big as the death of ahimsa – the trademark of Bacha Khan’s philosophy.

S. Hameed Sheikh works with a private TV channel in its dramatic productions department. He couldn’t attend his office on the following three days of Ubaidullah’s murder because he had to pass Banaras’s Bacha Khan Chauk to move to his office on I.I. Chundrigar Road. A resident of Ali Gargh adjacent to the Banaras Chauk S. Hameed Sheikh doesn’t want to be the target of bullets fired by unknown men. Although he belongs to the Urdu Speaking community he shares one main thing with ANP. Like the workers of Awami National Party his despise for MQM has always been on high degree. The young man with dark skin has always been admirer of Pukhtoon traditions. But Pukhtoons being the protectors of people lives have now become a life threat for the people like S Hameed Sheikh. Not all of them ofcourse but the ones lead astray by the ANP through its politics of hate towards other communities.

As a matter of fact, Pukhtoons are known for never attacking their worst enemies whenever they have trespassed, accidentally or deliberately, through their area. The great nation Pukhtoons have never killed noncombatants but ANP’s Sindh chapter largely comprised of Land grabbers have forgotten their history or are more inspired from the indiscriminate killings of vulnerable Pukhtoon in Mujahir dominated areas by MQM.

The supporters of ANP have made it impossible for the Urdu speaking community to pass through Banaras, Kati Pahari, Qasba and other Pukhtoon dominated areas. Just hours after the inhuman murder of ANP leader, News Channels flashed the footage showing loaded worker of ANP firing to scare the people. Who dared to pass through?

The Subscription List at http://global.nytimes.com/ [“Global Edition New York Time with International Herald Tribune] clearly states the charges in Pakistan, though low, are both for The International Herald Tribune and Express Tribune. This establishes the fact that the Newspaper with the slogan of “Global Standard but Local Prospective” compels its subscribers to buy a copy of the Newspaper owned by Neo-cons. Please note that the charges for the Express Tribune are PKR-25 while the well established newspapers like Dawn, The nation and The News charge PKR15 from its subscribers. These are the market rates. Mind; this is also contrary to the strategy which the new comers mostly adopt e.g. a paper of high quality at low rates. But the express tribune with The International Herald Tribune is not costly. In fact the buyers have to pay PKR25 for the two independent Newspapers. But you can’t buy any of these two separately and that’s my point.

The PKR ten or half of the total price is charged for The International Herald Tribune , a newspaper with Global Standard and “International” Prospective. Although the editorial page of the Express Tribune is itself biased towards left liberalism which after divorcing communism has now married to the American imperialism, best known as international terrorism, the International Herald Tribune has two separate pages, editorial plus opinion page with writers prompting the International Prospective-American aggression as great service to humanity and resistance to it a great sin.

That those killed were indeed civilians was clear from day one as all eyewitness accounts agreed on that.

Tribal elders have told the media that the jets targeted a jirga or tribal council that was discussing ways to evict militants from the area. They insisted that most of the dead were civilians, including women and children.

A media report said one of the homes targeted by the jets belonged to the father of a Pakistani soldier.

Distortions, deformations, lies and deceptions are the words which remind us of none other than “New York Times”. According to Daniel Pipes Op-eds are now more central in war than bullets. To him gone are days when General in battle fields would decide the fate of nations. The job is now performed by the News producers, editors, copy editors and writers. In fact “New York Times” along with a few others is fighting this unjust war for the America on that new but important front very effective.

For those who loose their flavor on reading the English Newspapers like The News International where the people like Ansar Abbasi, the only person who questioned the fake flogging video, is heading its investigative unit which gather round about half of the total reporting team in Islamabad office, the debut of “The Express Tribune” is indeed a good news. Good news because The Express Tribune is reportedly partnered with The International Herald Tribune which is the global edition of The New York Times.

Victims of inferiority complexes and confused Pakistanis are overjoyed with this news but I’m sure that these friends of ours have been against the US aggression on Iraq and Afghanistan of which New York Times was a great proponent and even defended it once the claims of WMD proved unfounded.

Who says there were no WMD in Iraq? In the picture above are the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), some being destructed while some just wounded, are found in Iraq by The US in the light of investigative reporting by the American Media especially the New York Times and its partner publications. We are “glade” to become partner with those who are partner of the forces who want to enforce “American Liberal Values” which ask for the indiscriminate killings of the innocent Muslims.

To read “About US” of the online version of The Express Tribune is interesting and endorsed my claim that publications of New York Times are partners in International Terrorism by the US against humanity. Even the highlighted words say more.

The Express Tribune is the first internationally affiliated newspaper in Pakistan. Partnered with The International Herald Tribune – the global edition of The New York Times – the paper caters to the modern face of Pakistan. With its groundbreaking layouts created by an international award winning designer, the paper offers a stimulating visual experience designed to make stories come alive on paper.

With a staff of acclaimed journalists, our mission is to defend the liberal valuesand egalitarian traditions we believe in, and which deserve to be upheld in writing that is both informative and insightful. The newspaper covers a variety of topics ranging from politics to the economy, foreign policy to investment and sports to culture.

I would like to lift it on my readers to answer this question that who are the “modern face of Pakistan”? The supporters of uncheck assault on patriotic Pakistanis? The people who says that Black Water/Xe Services are the most peaceful people on earth and thus nothing to do with blasts inside Pakistan and that they are hundreds of their marines are here in Pakistan on Picnic?

The mission of a Newspaper or News Channel should be defending some values? What do egalitarian traditions mean? Egalitarian traditions which allow them the right to publish blasphemous cartoons with out thinking awhile that the same may hurt millions of Muslims? Being a journalist we were trained to report what we see but the Express Tribune will report what it want the people to see. And what it want the people to see is very much clear from its “About US” and its partnership with partners in international terrorism.

Although it is good news for “protectors of the liberal values” [Read the words in inverted commas as pleaders of indiscriminate killing of innocent Muslims], it is bad news for a vast majority of Pakistanis that The Express Tribune, a mouthpiece of International Terrorists, US and its global allies has been launched in Pakistan.

[Note:With electricity playing havoc, I am having a hard time sitting down and doing this piece at length. This is a bit disorganized as I wanted to put in a lot of old info to jog the memory but I don’t have the time to do a swell job of arranging it nicely. Hope this will do. And apologies for getting a bit messy]

It offers nothing new (see her piece from a year ago below titled “Swat Video is genuine, claim activists”) except calling those who question her “conspiracy theorists” and “Taliban Supporters” and “Taliban apologists“ (Oh how original! But their is one original one too: “professional conspirators” Methinks she is accusing guys like me to be on the pay of some one. Wish she’d identify whom so I can go collect my paycheck;-) BTW: She herself is undeniably — and admittedly — a “pro” NGO b!tch and we are very clear who her bosses are). But she does mess up some — see that is the trouble when you lie so much. For example, she writes:

“At a time when the entire country was under threat from militants, I not only brought the attention of the country to this video”

WELL IF THIS IS NOT AN ADMISSION THAT SHE WAS USING THE VIDEO FOR PROPAGANDA PURPOSES THAN I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS!!!!

She goes on to say believe me because — like in her last piece — Taliban say so. She even quotes Rahmatullah Yousafzai to “prove” this flogging was real because “other floggings have happened”. What she doesn’t tell you is that Yousafzai reported the girl DENIED the flogging (the RYousafzai story is linked below). This is faulty logic. Of course we know that and I am not denying that. But that this particular one did not happen when claimed is all I am claiming and Ms Minallah you have yourself all but admitted to it and admitted to the fact you used it for propaganda.

Another interesting and stupid line from her article:

“If this is ‘fake’ then what about the way Shabana was brutally killed in front of many silent spectators?”

I don’t know which Shabana you are talking about but I do know you did not raise a stink about it. You did not post it on YouTube (oh by the way you lied about that too at first claiming someone else had put the flogging video on YouTube and you happened to come across it. It was YOU who posted it and spread the word to bbc and WP etc) nor did you appear on talk shows hawking it.

I will continue to challenge those who misuse religion for power and politics.

And I will continue to expose lying b!tches like you whose think their religion gives them the right to screw your father-in-law and have her brother as a pimp (see below; and speaking of pim brothers, I must pay my respects to your pimp brother: “Oh, Hi! Athar!) and use little lies to propagate atrocities as happened in Swat.

I think you better quit with these “I was right because Taliban say so” defenses — you are only exposing your lies more and more.

– The incident happened after the Swat deal. (If that istrue, how come the video was being passed from phone to phone till eventually reaching Ms Minallah “through email”? That is some rapid dissimination)

– We are expected to believe BBC was able to gather all this and identify all the characters and their backgrounds from its investigation in 24 hours or less; and that too when the original story even on BBC was only quoting Ms Minallah

In the print edition of Jang the same day, another version was offered which was even more ridiculous. The person having made the video claims the girl had refused to marry this guy so he joined the Taliban (really?) and had her punished under a false claim thus carrying our his revenge. Go figure (What I specially don’t understand is he could have made this false claim without joining the Taliban so why go through the trouble??) Too bloody fantastic!

6. That this little incident would be deemed so important to get the focus was indeed uncany (when so many worst things were going on) and even those againt the Taliban like Cowasjee notice this anamoly in his piece titled “When Will We Wake Up“:

THE local press is sometimes rather tardy when it comes to latching on to events on the home front. The video of the flogging of a young girl allegedly by the Taliban in the usurped vale of Swat began its circulation around the internet early last week.

On April 2, a report headed ‘Video of girl’s flogging as Taliban hand out justice’ was printed in The Guardian, and a similar report in The Times under the heading ‘Video: radicals beat girl, 17, in Islamic stronghold of Swat, Pakistan’. Britain awakens early. The New York Times followed suit two days later, on April 4, in tune with our press, and printed a report on the flogging, ‘Video of Taliban flogging rattles Pakistan’.

The news in Pakistan was headlined the same day after the subject video had been aired on most of our news channels on Friday, April 3. On one channel, a ‘spokesman’ for the Taliban defended the punishment with the caveat that it should not have been publicised. And one anchor person apparently quoted chapter and verse of the Quran and applauded the flogging.

The government of the NWFP which, with the blessings of the federal government, concluded the ‘peace’ deal in Swat with Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban on Feb 15, via its information minister called the airing of the video an attempt to ‘sabotage’ the peace deal. President, prime minister and assorted federal ministers had no option but to make the usual condemnatory noises and issue the usual inquiry orders.

Pakistan’s chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, has sprung into action, as expected of a man of his stature who has his head and heart in the right place, and taken suo motu action summoning to his court members of the administration of the NWFP. Not that it can serve much purpose as both provincial and federal governments have abdicated their writ in the vale of Swat and handed it over to the Taliban to do with it and its inhabitants what they will.

Such is the schizophrenia that assails us, which is evident in all walks of life and in all different class distinctions. Education in our case is no panacea for a mass state of denial when it comes to events happening under our combined eyes. It is amazing how the benefits of higher education swiftly rub off our elite classes when it comes to matters of tradition which glorify the violation of human rights.

7. That this was a fully managed campaign can be judged from how quickly every paper of note around the local and western press latched on to it. Were they all watching Capital talk that night? No! They all quoted Ms Minallah so we can have no doubt who was behind this. (I do find amazing is that Geo managed to make that little flogging clip into a 23+ minute report)

8. Just like today, Samar Minallah came out two days after the release of the video to defend her version and failed MISERABBLY. In fact she left no doubt she was a LYING BITCH. See for yourself in the full story and my comments on it at the time:

Swat video is genuine, claim activists
“…Samar Minallah, the human rights activist and documentary film-maker, while talking to The News said that the video was being circulated from mobile phone to mobile phone and from person to person. She said that she received the video via email from a human rights activist of Swat. Talking about the authenticity of the video Minallah said that everyone in Swat knows that the incident took place but unfortunately the NWFP government wants to divert the attention of the masses from the actual issue of harassment of women. She said that the facts and figures would be produced before the Supreme Court[Apr 2010: They never were and CJ seems to have gone to sleep on it] and everyone would come to know about the authenticity of the video.[Apr 2010: We are still waiting. But I am posting the story about the case when it made it to SC at the bottom]

“NWFP minister Mian Iftikhar directly named me while addressing a press conference yesterday while today the NWFP government has been apologising over directly blaming me”, said Samar Minallah adding: “I have got nothing from publicising this horrific video except putting my life in danger and if the government cannot provide me security then at least it should not divert the attention of the masses.”[Is she asking for a bullet-proof car and police escort?]

She said that the dialect which the girl was speaking was purely of Swat as she herself has worked in Swat and any Pushtoon could recognise it. Samar said that Muslim Khan, the spokesman of Taliban in Swat, accepted that the incident took place and also told the media that the girl had an illicit relationship with her father-in-law. “If the incident did not take place then how come Muslim Khan came to know about the allegations levelled against the girl?”, said the human rights activist adding: “Muslim Khan said the actual punishment to be awarded to the girl was stoning to death but she was flogged.”[Oh, so is Ms Minallah saying it is OK to have illicit relations with your father-in-law? AND why didn’t she let us on to this very important/relevant info earlier?][Apr 2010:And so now we are supposed to believe the Taliban Spokesperson? And why if she was awarded the “stoning to death” verdict was she just flogged? Wasn’t that “nice” of the Taliban?? ]

She said that a writer contributing to the BBC had confirmed that the incident was recent and from Swat.[Apr 2010: Oh, so Ms Minallah is using the BBC to cover for her and BBC is using her to cover for them. Nice little symbiotic relationship]

She referred to a human rights activist of Swat who when contacted requested anonymity as publishing his name could put his life in danger. [Apr 2010: The same one who sent her the video?] The human rights activist said that the video was so common in Swat that everyone was aware of it.[Apr 1010: This alone proves the video was MUCH OLDER than she claimed. This again proves her releasing it for a purpose]The activist had said that he received the video from Taliban who were not happy with the incident as it was un-Islamic because the girl had not faced any trial. “Many Taliban were not happy with the incident and they themselves had made the video and circulated it”, said the human rights activist adding: “The girl’s younger brother was forced to hold her at gunpoint and the man lashing the girl also abused that boy which could be heard easily; the Taliban said to that boy, “Pimp, take her inside the house?”[Oh this is getting GOOD! So it was the Talban who were distributing the video even though they were not happy with what happened — “as it was un-Islamic because the girl had not faced any trial” ??? So Talibans DID have the sense to see this? And yet Ms Minallah accused them and hid this important part??? And I am supposed to worry about the Taliban….WHAT A FVCKING FABRICATOR that Ms Minallah is ][Apr 2010: And I find it very odd that if I believe Ms Minallah and the Taliban (Ms Minallah is telling me to believe them so I must), this girl was screwing her father-in-law with her brother acting as a pimp and yet the Taliban thought “what a wonderful family!” (Remember Ms Minallah herself wants us to believe Taliban felt bad she was punished so screwing your father-in-law and pimping for your sis must be all “kosher” according to the shariat and Ms Minallah, at least that is what she wants us to believe)]

The activist from Swat said that the incident took place in a remote area near village Serbanda in upper Swat and many Taliban say that it was an illegal activity as proper procedure of having four witnesses was not adopted. He was of the view that the video was recent and there were many other similar incidents which could not be highlighted by the media.[“many Taliban say that it was an illegal activity as proper procedure of having four witnesses was not adopted.” ][Apr 2010: Again we are being asked to believe Ms Minallah’s fib that the video was recent is to be believed because Taliban confirm her version. Oh so nice of then.]

I must ask: If we are to believe this sh!t from Ms Minallah, I just don’t understand what is the issue she has with the Taliban? I mean they seem to agree on everything 100%

SWAT: WHERE IT IS TODAY

Some people of Swat speak out…(of course they will be declared ‘Taliban-supporters’ or “professional protesters” by ms Minallah):

PESHAWAR: Swat Qaumi Jirga on Sunday declared the state of Pakistan responsible for all the destruction, killings and miseries of the people in Swat and sought an apology from President Asif Ali Zardari as the head of the state….

And what about those other people from Swat…you know…the IDPs that all the ‘civil society’ was kind enough to make them into refugees? Well they are still suffering (as they were last year) as I talked about earlier:

IDPs from tribal areasNot only has the theatre of war against the militants in the northwest expanded in recent times, it has also extracted a heavy price in the process by displacing people from various affected areas on a very large scale. The fact must be kept in mind and both state and civil society should come to the aid of the IDPs. According to one relief agency, it has registered over 1.3 million IDPs from the tribal areas. The exodus from Orakzai Agency alone amounts to over 75,000 tribesmen at even conservative estimates. Parts of the agency have reportedly turned into ghost towns where starving children search for food.The exodus was a predictable consequence of the operation against the militants, but little evidence is available of the state having made efforts to mitigate the IDPs’ suffering. The sole relief camp in the area is in Hangu district, accommodating less than 4,000 people. There is no room for the hundreds of people streaming into the area everyday. Apparently, no relief camp exists in Kohat district, where over 22,000 IDPs have registered themselves with the social welfare department. Unsurprisingly, the battle against militancy has led to mass migration, with people seeking refuge in Kohat and Hangu districts and Khyber Agency….

So what this b!tch wrought has only spread.

P.S. See my comment that really got ALL baboos fuming and pull out their knives (I must have set a record for the names I was called in that thread )

Interior secretary, NWFP IG, Attorney General (AG) and other high officials appeared before the eight-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry hearing the Swat case.

AG, Latif Khosa during the hearing made a plea that the matter relating to the flogging of girl was a sensitive issue and, therefore, the hearing be conducted closed-door. The Supreme Court turning down the request for in-camera trial gave remarks that the flogging was made known through the media and added that the facts need be brought before the public.

The victim Swat girl could not be presented during the SC hearing, while a confidential report was presented from the NWFP chief secretary (CS). The SC bench refusing to accept NWFP CS report relating to the flogging of girl remarked that no confidential report was required and said all facts should be brought in public.

Besides, the girl’s statement before the magistrate was also presented through AG, in which the girl has denied the alleged flogging incident. NWFP IG on this occasion in his statement drew the attention of the court to this fact that the police have no access to several areas in Swat.[Oh, and Ms Minallah does? And BBC seems to be in every nook-and-corner as can be “proved” from the fact they managed to gather so much in 24 hours as mentioned by me above] To this, the bench remarked, “Your statement tantamount to laying arms.”

NWFP IG said that an FIR has been registered against unidentified persons and an investigation team headed by DIG has been constituted.[Why “unnamed”? Just ask bbc or Ms Minallah or Muslim Khan ]

The SC bench expressed its displeasure with interior secretary, Kamal Shah relating to Swat incident, while a member of the bench, Khalilur Rahman Ramday enquired from interior secretary, “Except arresting judges, do you do any other work.”

CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry in his remarks said that investigations be conducted that who conspired to defame Islam and Pakistan.

By Rahimullah Yusufzai [for the benefit of @Mo Usman so he can’t deny it’s creditability ]

PESHAWAR: Chand Bibi, the young girl who was shown being flogged by the Swat Taliban in a videotape aired on television channels, gave a statement to a Qazi, or judge, on Sunday, denying the incident.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the NWFP information minister, told The News that she made the statement to Mohammad Riaz, the judge of the Qazi Court for Matta Tehsil, and the commissioner of Malakand division, Syed Mohammad Javed, both of whom visited her village, Kala Killay, in Kabal Swat district on Sunday.

Quoting the commissioner, Mian Iftikhar said the girl, Chand Bibi, made it clear that she was indeed married to Adalat Khan and everyone in the village knew about it. She refuted the reports that both of them were flogged by the Taliban as punishment for maintaining illicit relations and then forcibly married….”

Well in case you are wondering why you are hearing all this talk about Southern Punjab and America’s latest warnings, our ladies have been hard at work. I already told you about Ayesha Siddiqa but did you know Samar Minallah has been hard at work there too?

Samar Minallah is all with her future victims in Rahim Yar Khan, Southern Punjab.

A senior U.S. military official has confirmed that a 17-minute video posted today on Wikileaks.org – which shows U.S. troops firing repeatedly from a helicopter at a group walking down a Baghdad street – is authentic. The attack, which took place in July of 2007, ultimately killed 12, a group which included a Reuters photographer, Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver, Saeed Chmagh, 40, according to the Times.

The conversation between the two troops in the helicopter is captured on film, including an exchange in which one pilot says “Look at those dead bastards,” to which the other responds “Nice.” The pilots believe the group to be insurgents (mistaking Noor-Eldeen’s camera for a weapon) and aim and fire, “reveling in their kills,” as the Times puts it.

U.S. military officials have reportedly investigated the incident and concluded the troops were not aware there were Reuters employees amongst the group, and there was no disciplinary action taken.

[The only regret the US official has is the Reuters employees ware mistakenly killed, otherwise there is nothing bad in killing the Muslims whose rulers are sucking the American Dick for quite some time now]